Car-coupling



{No Model.)

W. H. DAWSON.

OAR COUPLING.

Paten ted Feb. 21, 1888.

ATTORNEYS.

lhvrrnn States Patent \VILLIAM HENRY DAYVSON, OF HARLAN, IO\VA.

CAR=COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 378,194, dated February 21, 1888.

Application filed October 2?, 1887. Serial No. 253,437. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that l, \VILLIAM I'IEKRY DAW- SON, of Harlan, in the county of Shelby and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Gal-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved carcoupliug which is sim ple in construction and very effective and automatic in coupling and uncoupling the cars.

The invention consists of a lever operated by a foot-lever on top of the cars and carrying the coupling-pin, a guide-lever connected with the said lever, and a spring-catch for holding said lever in place.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of my improvement as applied to a car and showing the coupling-pin in place; and Fig. 3 isasimi lar view of the same, showing the coupling-pin disengaged from the-link.

The car A is provided with the draw-head 13, having the vertical slot B and the opening B in its front, into which is adapted to pass the coupling-link C, of the usual construction.

The coupling-link G is engaged by the coup-' ling-pin D, held to slide vertically in the slot B near the front of the draw-head B, so as to engage and disengage the coupling-link 0 when the latter enters or leaves the opening 13 in the front of the draw-head B.

The coupling-pin D is held on one end of a lever, B, fnlcrumcd at E in the draw-head B, and adapted to move in the slot B of said draw-head. The rear end of the lever E is con nectcd by the vertical rod F with the foot-lever G, fulcrurned on top of the car. To the lever E is pivotally secured, in front of its fulcrum E", the link I-I, connected with the rear end of the guidelever I, fulcrnnied on the drawhcad B, and also moving in the vertical slot B of the draw-head. The front end of the guidelever Iis provided with ashoulder, 1, adapted to engage the inner end of the coupling-link C, so as to guide the same to place when entering the other draw-head, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

At the extreme inner end of the lever E is formed a catch, 1], adapted to engage the spring J, secured to the car A, and serving to hold said lever E in a locked outward position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation is as follows: As illustrated in Fig. 2, the coupling-link G is held in place in the draw-head B by the coupling-pin D engaging the inner end of the said coupling-link, and the latter is held in a horizontal position by the guide-lever I, which engages by its shoulder l the inner top end of said link. The car to be coupled is illustrated in Fig. 3, and the lever Eis held in a locked position by the spring J engaging the rear inner end of said lever, so that the coupling-pin D, held on the lower front end of said lever, is below the opening B and the lever I is correspondingly held with its shoulder I in an elevated position, so as to permit a free entrance or passage of the coupling-link G. \Vhen the fronts of the two draw-heads come together in coupling, then the link 0 passes into the opening 13' and the draw-heads move sufiiciently backward in the usual manner, so that the catch E is disengaged from the stationary spring J, and the weighted inner end of the lever E moves downward, so that the front end of the said lever, whichlcarries the conpling-pin D, rises, and the front end of the guide-lever I swings downward with the said lever E on account of its connection by the linl: H with the said guidelever 1.. The coupling-pin D in its upward movement passes through the coupling-link 0, thus coupling the two cars together, and at the same time the shoulder I of the lever I engages the top of said coupling-link, thus locking the latter in place.

"When the operator desires to nncouple the cars, he presses with his foot on the inner end of the foot-lever G, whereby the lever E is caused to swing downward at its front end and upward at its rear end until the catch E engages the spring J and the coupling-pinD has left the coupling-link O, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The coupling-link 6 held by the other car, as shown in Fig. 2, is then free to leave the drawhead 13, thus uncoupling the two cars.

Having thus fully described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a lever and means for operating the same, of a coupling-pin held on the front end of said lever'and adapted to engage the coupling-link, a guide-lever adapted to engage the-inner end of the coupling-link, and a link pivotally connecting said lever with said guide-lever, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head having a front opening and a vertical slot, of a lever operating in said vertical slot and fulcrumed on said draw-head, acoupling-pin held on the front end of the said lever and moving at the inner end of said front opening in the draw-head, and a guide-lever pivotally connected by a link with the said lever, substantially shown and described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head having a front opening and a verticalslot, of a lever operated from the top of the car and fnlcrumed on said draw-head, a

coupling-pin held on the front end of the said lever and moving at the inner end. of said front pass through the front opening in the said draw-head, of a lever fulcrumed on the said draw-head, a foot-lever on top of the car and connected with said lever, a coupling-pin held 1 on the front end said lever and adapted to engage the said coupling-link, a guide-lever having a shoulder adapted to engage the said coupling-link, a link connecting said guide-lever with said lever, and a spring adapted to en gage the inner end of said lever, so as to lock the latter in place, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM HENRY DAWSON;

Witnesses:

W. F. OUNLAND, D. M. ll/IULAND. 

